Shaun Hill

Hill didn't attempt a pass with the Lions in all of last season, but owns a 62 percent completion rate and 41:23 TD:INT ratio over his career. He'll now have a chance to lead the Rams' offense, with S...

Hill completed just 18-of-35 passes for 198 yards and one touchdown in Sunday's 27-24 loss at San Diego. He also had three turnovers, including a costly end-zone interception in the final minute of the game.

It was reported Tuesday that Davis would remain the Rams' starter, but head coach Jeff Fisher changed course, and will go with Hill this week instead. Hill has not started a game since Week 1, but Fisher is hopeful that he will give the Rams a better chance to win this week in a tough environment, facing the league's top run defense.

10/1/2014

Hill's teammate, Austin Davis will start Sunday's game against the Eagles.

Hill will be the first in line to take snaps should injury befall Matthew Stafford, who has dealt with his fair share of maladies in his short career. He threw just three passes last year after playing in 11 games in 2010.

2011

As the backup for what might be the leagueÔŅĹs least durable quarterback, Hill is much closer to stepping onto the field than most No. 2 QBs. He was surprisingly productive last year, throwing for 250 yards or more in six of his 10 starts while totaling 16 passing touchdowns in the same span. You can probably expect a similar showing from the 10-year veteran if Matthew Stafford goes down again in 2011.

2010

Hill is the presumptive No. 2 quarterback behind second-year pro Matthew Stanford. Drew Stanton will be in the mix during training camp, but Hill certainly has a leg up. Stafford dealt with knee and shoulder injuries last season and the Lion' offensive line is barely mediocre, making a stint under center for Hill not out of the realm of possibility. But it'll take an injury to Stafford to make that happen as the Lions are committed to the former Georgia signal caller.

2009

Heís not pretty, but he gets it done. Sort of a modern-day Billy Kilmer.
Alas, heíll have to get it done now without Mike Martz, who has been rudely jettisoned from the NFL completely. So all those inspiring stats from last year, including the most impressive 7.1 YPA as an inexperienced starter, are moot.
Of course, Mike Singletary wants to emphasize defense and thus brought in Jimmy Raye, a former running back coach for the Jets, to run the attack. That tells us the Niners are going to be run first and second and maybe pass when absolutely necessary. Gone, too, then (or at least rendered more moot) is Hillís sparkling 7.9 YPA on first downs. Frank Gore is going to get the rock 70 percent of the time on first-and-10 now. And the attack is probably going to be more conservative in limiting downfield throws (23 percent of Hillís attempts last year despite the below-average raw NFL arm strength).
Michael Crabtree was drafted, and thatís encouraging. But heís unlikely to have a significant impact as a rookie with the weight of the entire passing game on his shoulders. That means too much attention from opposing secondaries.
We also must note that former No. 1 overall pick Alex Smith, coming off major throwing shoulder surgery, has a chance to emerge as the starter. But Raye was apprised in the offseason that Hill is a bad practice player who gets it done in games. So how can he lose the job before the season starts?

2008

Mike Martz offers hope for the owners of
Niners QBs. But Alex Smith seems like an empty
vessel. Look at the numbers: Hill had five TDs in 80 attempts with a 101 QB rating. Sure, the YPA
was a pedestrian 6.3, suggesting the TDs were a
fluke. And he fumbled three times on four sacks,
losing two. The sample size is also miniscule.
But Smith had two TD passes in 193 attempts,
posted a pathetic 4.7 YPA and has been backsliding
since September of 2006. Yes, Martz is his
fourth offensive coordinator in four years, but
Smith's the primary reason those predecessors
got canned. The major surgery to his throwing
shoulder is another issue, as is his public feud
with his head coach. Smith's leash is two games,
max, and might be as short as two quarters.
The career progressions of Smith and Hill are
a perfect illustration of how flummoxed NFL decision makers are when it comes to scouting and
developing QBs. Hill wasn't even drafted and got
some attention only after playing well in NFL
Europe, which no longer even exists. He came to
the Niners by way of the Vikings and only got a
chance to start a game when all the other options
were injured. Now, he has a three-year deal and a
serious chance to start over a No. 1 overall pick
who plays like an undrafted free agent.
Whoever emerges in August should be a
late-round pocket pick as a third QB because of
Martz, who has made a career of turning other
people's castoffs into fantasy value and sometimes
even fantasy gold.

2007

Third quarterback for the 49ers.

2006

Hill, the #3 quarterback in Minnesota the past three years, will battle Jesse Palmer to serve a similar role in SF.

2005

Hill returns as the third-string quarterback, but he has yet to throw a pass in a regular season game.

2004

Hill returns as the third quarterback for Minnesota, but hasn't played a snap during the regular season in his two-year career.

2003

Third string QB for the Vikes. He spent the offseason in NFL Europe, leading the league in passing yards (2,256) and finishing second in touchdown passes (13).